The Red Brick Road
by peglit93
Summary: The untold story...at the beginning of the yellow brick road lies the opportunity for a completely different story. What would have happened if Dorothy had taken the red brick road instead? Read to find out! A darker, flipped version of the original. Reviews welcome!
1. In Which Dorothy Lands in Oz

Dorothy's eyes flew open. "W-what happened? Where am I?" she wondered groggily. Her surroundings looked familiar, but something definitely felt different. Wait—that's what it was: the eerie silence. Normally the farm was bustling, with noises from all sorts of activities. Dorothy felt as if cotton had been shoved in her ears, like Auntie Em used to do for her during thunderstorms when Dorothy was just a wee one.

Her curiosity finally got the better of her, and she hopped out of bed to investigate. Pausing a moment, as she had jumped up rather quickly, she waited until her dizziness passed. Toto, who had been snoring away at the foot of her bed, leaped into her arms. "What is going on?" Dorothy asked, as if Toto perhaps knew the answer. Grabbing Toto's basket, she stepped outside.

The scene that greeted her was like nothing she had ever seen before in her life. "Well, Toto, this certainly isn't Kansas!" Dorothy exclaimed. Instead of the familiar barnyard, her eyes beheld a strange countryside. It had the look of neglect, as if it had once possessed great beauty, but no longer. The hills, though very picturesque, were overgrown with weeds and thistles. A dry creek bed wound its way down through the hills, passing under a bridge to her right. Dead and dying trees were scattered over the land, and the smell of decay wafted over to Dorothy. The only sound was the groan of trees as the wind swept through the valley…but what was that? It couldn't be…but it was! Dorothy heard the unmistakable noise of excited whispering coming from behind a nearby bush.

"Hello?" Dorothy called. "Who's there?"

At the sound of her voice, three children stepped into view. Giggling and whispering among themselves, they slowly approached Dorothy. The yellow-skinned people were dressed quite oddly, wearing pointed green hats and curly-toed shoes with bells attached. As they drew nearer, Dorothy could see that they weren't children at all, but had the faces of old men. "Who are you? Where am I?" queried Dorothy.

One of the little people stepped forward, and offered in a deep, booming voice, "Welcome to the Land of Oz, O Great One! We are Winkies, here at your service, though we can never repay you for what you have done!" The Winkie bowed low before Dorothy.

"B-but-but I haven't done anything!" cried Dorothy. "I only just woke up several moments ago, and I have no idea how I got here. Whatever are you talking about?"

The Winkie replied, "You have killed the Wicked Witch of the West, who has enslaved my people for centuries. Now we are free! Look there, your house has landed on her, and she is dead. Come, we will introduce you to the others!"

Speechless and completely unable to protest or deny her hand in the apparent murder of the Witch, Dorothy allowed herself to be led by the Winkies into the center of town. The Winkie in charge of the posse waddled into the middle of the little village and cried, "HEAR YE, HEAR YE! THE WICKED WITCH IS DEAD! SHE WAS KILLED BY THIS—_What is your name, dear?!" (_"Dorothy" she supplied) "DOROTHY OF—_Where do you come from?" _("Kansas") "DOROTHY OF KANSAS! BEHOLD, OUR HEROINE!"

By this time quite a crowd had grown around the Winkie. Dorothy stared in awe at the strange-looking group of little people. At the end of the Winkie's announcement, the crowd went wild with celebration. The whole situation was almost too much for young Dorothy. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of Uncle Henry and Auntie Em. Were they worried about her? How ever would she get home from this strange and terrible place? Where _was_ home?

Just as she was working herself into a complete mess, yet another strange thing caught her eye. A huge pink bubble, growing larger as it grew closer, had appeared on the horizon. Dorothy watched, transfixed, as a human form took shape inside the bubble. It came to rest right beside her, and the bubble popped to reveal a beautiful woman in a pink gown, holding a wand. "Hello, Dorothy. I am Glinda, the Witch of the North. Thank you for setting the Winkies free from bondage. As a gesture of gratitude, I'd like to help you in any way I can."

"Oh thank you!" By this time, Dorothy was totally discombobulated and, having never been this far from home before, very homesick. "I just want to go home. Is there any way you can you help me?"

"Of course," came the warm reply. "This is what you need to do…"


	2. In WhichDorothy FollowstheRed Brick Road

"The only one who can help you get home is the powerful Warlock of Oz. He resides in the Amethyst City, which lies at the end of the Red Brick Road. You'll have to travel there by foot, never wandering from the Red Brick. I practice simple magic, but I will do what I can to protect you on your journey. However, you would do well to make friends along the way. Your journey will be pleasant at times, and at other times very dark and dangerous. Be always wary of the powers of the Witch of the East, who will surely want revenge on you, for you caused the death of her sister. Beware also the Wizard of Oz from the Emerald city; the evil witches answer to him. His magic seems good, but is phony. He bribed the witches to do his dirty work, and has since enslaved the good Munchkins of Munchkin Land. Good luck, my dear, and hasten!"

With that, Glinda's bubble appeared to whisk her away. Dorothy waved in thanks, feeling much better about her situation now that she knew what she had to do. The Winkies flocked around her, giving gifts of food and clothing for her journey. One of the Winkies presented her with a pair of jade green slippers. "These belonged to the Witch. Now they're yours to keep, as a token of our thanks!" Glancing at her own worn shoes, Dorothy gratefully accepted the gift. Little did she realize how much power she now held…

As Dorothy skipped off down the Red Brick Road, Toto at her heels, she happily sang, "I'm off to see the Warlock, the wonderful Warlock of Oz!"


	3. In Which Dorothy Meets the Scarecrow

The years had not treated him kindly. His once bright, perky face was now weathered and worn, showing all signs of age. His figure was decrepit, bowed by the wind and rain. Any scrap of straw left after the terrible fire was now long gone. His clothes, mere tatters now, were dingy remnants holding barely a suggestion of their former cheerful colors. In fact, he blended in with his surroundings quite well, which was probably the reason Dorothy did not notice him in the first place.

After an hour of travel, Dorothy had sat down at the edge of the old, abandoned cornfield to rest and get a bite to eat. She had settled in to enjoy the treats the Winkies had sent along, completely oblivious to the figure behind her. Not three yards across the stubble perched the dusty, worn Scarecrow.

"Smells simply scrumptious. Permit a portion, please?"

Dorothy jumped to her feet, alarmed and startled at the sound of the husky voice. "Who said that?" she cried.

"Jumpy! Just me," came the reply.

"Who is 'me'?" asked Dorothy, looking around quickly, but finding no one. Toto growled and bared his teeth at the unexpected presence.

The scarecrow sighed. He was quite used to being passed over. "Look left, lass," he directed.

"Oh!" Dorothy gasped. "You're a scarecrow! But…you can talk? And you talk funny, too!"Having never seen anything of the sort, she was quite perplexed.

After years of hanging on his pole, all by his lonesome, the scarecrow had developed an interesting wit. The only way he kept from going insane (which is debatable, of course) was by philosophizing his days away. He had done so much thinking over the last century that his mind was very well developed. He had theories on most everything, from why the sky was blue to how birds flew. Even if his theories were completely wrong (and most of them were!), he felt the need to educate everyone who passed. In our world, he would be considered a "know-it-all," and a most annoying one, at that. Anyway, he could see his attempt at witticisms would be lost on this simple girl, and decided to speak on her level. An idea suddenly popped into his head; he could finally leave this field! He answered, "Yes, I'm a scarecrow. And I have been hanging here for a very long time. What say you help me down, and then you can be on your merry way?"

"Should I trust you?" Dorothy asked.

"Of course!" replied the scarecrow. "I'm even willing to travel with you for a ways if you like. I do know the area quite well." (He really didn't, but he had imagined where the roads led so often that in his mind, fiction had become fact.)

"Alright. I suppose I can help." Dorothy remembered Glinda's advice about making friends, and she saw this as an opportunity. "But you should know that I'm following the Red Brick Road to get to the Amethyst City, so that the Warlock of Oz can help me get home." As she was talking, she gently lifted the scarecrow off his post.

"Many thanks!" the scarecrow cried. "I've always wanted to visit the Amethyst City. I know everything about that place! I hear they have many schools. I would love to share the vast expanse of my knowledge with little Ozians!" He went to take a step, but for lack of stuffing, collapsed.

"Oh!" gasped Dorothy. "Here, let me stuff you with some of these corn husks, and you'll be as good as new."

"Of course. I thought of that myself, just didn't get around to saying it yet," offered the scarecrow.

After fixing him up, Dorothy, Toto and the scarecrow set off merrily down the Red Brick Road, passing through many empty fields and eerie forests. Dorothy was very glad to have company, and they talked and sang through the early afternoon. "Oh, we're off to see the Warlock, the wonderful Warlock of Oz!"


	4. In Which Dorothy Encounters the Tin Man

_Creeeeeeeeaaak! Squeeeeeeeek-wrench! _A gust of wind tore its way through the woods, reaching what appeared to be a rusted pillar of metal. _Ohhhhhhhh not again! _He thought to himself. _Just when I finally got comfortable. I wonder how the trees handle this?! They're so much older than I am…poor things. They've had to deal with this for so long! _Another tear slid down his cheek, into the joint of his jaw, adding to the lack of movement he was already experiencing. _Why oh why did this have to happen to me? I just—oh no! _Right before his eyes, the wind knocked a crow's nest out of a tree. _That poor bird! Its home has been decimated! And winter's coming…_another tear slipped out. Life these days was one big pity party, it seemed. This is what he had been reduced to, a blubbering emotional wreck. Good thing no one but the trees could see him. He tried to stretch, accomplishing nothing but a loud _GROOOAAAANNNN!_

"What was THAT?!" cried Dorothy. She was already spooked, having to walk through a ghoulish forest with no one but a know-it-all scarecrow and a little dog for protection.

"Oh, probably just a tree branch or something like that," the scarecrow suggested, even though it sounded nothing like it. "I think we should check it out." With that, he stepped off the Red Brick Road in the direction of the sound. On the inside, he was shaking with fright, but there was no way he'd let Dorothy know that. Some information was better kept to oneself, you know!

He looked up and saw a heap of rust, clearly not a natural part of the forest. A closer look revealed a human-esque figure. "What in the…" A few steps more confirmed what the scarecrow thought he saw—a trail of tears running down the tin man's cheek. "Well, what's wrong with YOU?" the scarecrow asked.

Sensing no imminent danger, Dorothy and Toto joined the scarecrow. "Ohhh look! It's a man made of tin! Can you talk, too?"

The tin man, startled by the sudden presence of actual people, was speechless. When he finally came to his senses, he realized that all he could do was groan and squeak! "Errrrrrrl" was all he managed to get out.

"What was that?" asked Dorothy, turning to the scarecrow for clarification.

"I think he said 'Earl'. He must be lost and looking for a friend. Yes, that must be it."

"Errrrrrrrl!" He said again, this time much more insistently.

"Oh! He needs oil!" Dorothy finally understood, and ran over to the tin man, who had an axe and a bottle of oil near his feet. She quickly applied some to his jaw so he could speak.

"Finally! I have been waiting years for this day!" he cried. "Oh, I'm so happy!" Tears of joy were now streaming down his face.

"Don't cry!" said Dorothy, "You'll rust up again."

"I know; I just can't help it. This was how I rusted in the first place. I cry a lot, you see. I'm sure not proud of it, but it seems to be something I can't control!"

"Well that's no good," said Dorothy. Seeing the tin man had a kind heart, she invited him to join them. "Why don't you come along with us? We're headed to the Amethyst city to get help from the Warlock."

The tin man agreed, and Dorothy went about oiling the rest of his rusty joints. "Maybe the Warlock could give you a titanium upgrade," suggested the scarecrow. "Then you'll never have to worry about rust again!"

The tin man thought this was wonderful. "What a good idea!"

"And maybe we can help you learn to control your tears, too," offered Dorothy. The foursome were soon off again, Dorothy and Toto ready to get home, the scarecrow hoping to teach school, and the tin man wishing for a rust-free body. "Yes, we're off to see the Warlock, the wonderful Warlock of Oz!"


End file.
